Cherry Valley restaurateurs want to open Rockford coffee shop

Friday

Jun 6, 2014 at 10:42 AM

A pair of Cherry Valley restaurateurs wants to open a coffee shop along Charles Street in Rockford.

Benny Salamone owns Salamone’s Italian Restaurant & Bar, and his twin brother, Phil Salamone, helps manage the place. The restaurant first opened in 2000 and has been at its current location at 103 S. Cherry St. since 2008.

The guys bought the old Charles Street Shoe Repair building at 2320 Charles St. and plan to renovate the space for essentially two businesses — a coffee shop and a gaming parlor. The businesses will have separate entrances.

Charles Street Shoe Repair last September moved about a block west from its longtime home. It’s located at 2233 Charles Street, Suite E.

Benny and his wife recently attended barista training in Holland, Michigan. He and Phil scouted locations in Rockford for a coffee shop and landed on the Charles Street space because it’s a high-traffic, heavily populated area.

Phil will manage the Rockford business, and the guys plan to add a coffee shop in Cherry Valley, too. They own the space next to Salamone’s, and will expand there, though the Rockford location is slated to open first.

They hope to open the Rockford businesses by November but are still navigating the city permitting process. They’re also still deciding on a name for the venture.

They also plan to completely remodel and modernize the older building and improve the landscaping and parking areas.